Posts tagged: Rick Spielman

Letroy Guion’s Contract Details

March 13, 2012, by 5 comments

Letroy Guion is a defensive tackle that has flashed plenty of ability but failed to separate himself from the competition despite a golden opportunity in 2011.

The Vikings, however, are apparently sold on his potential and extended him a decent contract on Tuesday that could make him a low-end starter alongside Kevin Williams.

Guion’s contract is worth $9 million over three years.  He received a signing bonus in the amount of $3.565 million.

The money included in this deal suggests that Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier have high hopes for Guion’s future with the team.  I have to admit, I like this signing, although I was hoping we would be talking about help being brought in from outside the organization by now.

At The Last Minute, Receiver Market Gets Slimmer

March 13, 2012, by 13 comments

News is flying around at the moment, but little is out there directly relating to the Vikings.

Former Vikings such as Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, and Ben Leber are all active as free agency nears.  Moss signed a deal that has made him a San Francisco 49er, Hutchinson is visiting the Titans with Peyton Manning, and Leber is possibly going to be an Eagle.

Even though  Moss was never on the Vikings radar, the wide receiver market took a hit on Tuesday and is looking suddenly thin.  Marques Colston reportedly re-signed with the Saints getting him $40 million over five years, with just under $20 million guaranteed.

Rick Spielman appeared on the radio at 1500 ESPN this morning and reiterated that the goal is to get younger.

Vikings Are Essentially On The Clock

March 10, 2012, by 4 comments

News broke late on Friday night, via Jay Glazer, that the St. Louis Rams have traded the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins.

According to Glazer, the bounty (ha!) is quite plentiful.  The Rams will receive the sixth overall pick in this Draft, two future first round picks, and other multiple draft choices.  It is assumed, and for good reason, that Washington plans to use the second pick on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

 It will be tough for some Vikings fans to think about how close this franchise could have been to netting such a profit had they not beat, coincidentally, the Redskins on Christmas Eve with Joe Webb and Toby Gerhart playing the roles of unlikely heroes, but not all is lost.

The deal cannot be finalized until the league year begins on Tuesday, but as I stated previously, the Vikings now find themselves in a pretty good situation.

They can now take the player they find to be the best non-quarterback addition to the roster whether it be Matt Kalil, Morris Claiborne, or Justin Blackmon.  They can also begin to entertain offers for teams, like perhaps the Bengals, that may be looking to move up and snag a player they covet.

The Vikings may not have the same leverage that St. Louis had, but they suddenly have a lot more of it than they did on Friday morning.

I hope Rick Spielman’s cell phone came with unlimited minutes.

Fabricating Excuses

March 6, 2012, by 6 comments

If you haven’t noticed (you better have!) I am relying on Brett even more than I usually do to help me keep the site fresh with the latest news and rumors surrounding the Vikings.

It just so happens that this is one of those weeks when my real job has me tied up all hours of the day, and I am even more worthless than normal when I get home.

But don’t worry, I talked to Rick Spielman today and he said they would host a few more meetings with ownership and wait until Saturday to make any big roster decisions.  That will give me time recoup from the long work week and bring you the latest, greatest Vikings news as free agency approaches.

Spielman said that his free agency plans are finalized and that the team is simply waiting for March 13th to roll around.  In the meantime, he plans to attend as many pro days as possible, including Oklahoma State and USC, where he will get up-close looks at Matt Kalil and Justin Blackmon.

Oh, and if you are wondering what the heck I am babbling on about, click here to read all about Spielman’s recent statements regarding his plans for the week.

No Franchise Tag For The Vikings

February 24, 2012, by No comments yet

Rick Spielman confirmed on Thursday that the Vikings are not going to use their franchise tag on any of their pending free agents this offseason.

Considering the talent, or lack thereof, of the players set to possibly become unrestricted free agents the decision should come as no surprise to anyone.

I feel like I have been pretty supportive of outside linebacker Erin Henderson over the years, but Pro Football Focus’s high rating of Henderson’s 2011 performance has led to some outlandish speculation that the Vikings should use the tag on him.

In the end, however, Henderson was an average player on a horrible team.  He is in no way worth the money he would get from a franchise tag, but a contract extension should be in the works as long as Henderson hasn’t overvalued himself like PFF has.

Spielman also made clear that decisions on the Henderson brothers would be handled individually, and their relation would have no bearing on the front office’s evaluation of their value.

“That’s tough business decisions,” Spielman said. “But that’s the hardest part, is trying to take the human element out of it and just trying to do the best business decision you can make.”

It also sounds like the Vikings will finalize decisions on their roster and pending free agents by the end of next week, which means one very important thing:  I need to finish up my “Offseason Preview” segments real quick like.

Free agency starts on March 13th and the Vikings are expected to be active prior to that date releasing, re-signing, and restructuring their existing contracts to solidify positions and clear cap space.  That process is getting underway this week in Indy, as nearly everybody is there, including agents for the players in question.

“We’re talking to everyone’s agent, those guys, and (finding out) if they’re interested in that or not interested in that,” Spielman said. “We might not be interested in restructuring. We may be just be ready to move on, too.”

Steve Hutchinson, Cedric Griffin, and Anthony Herrera continue to be hot topics as these decisions loom.

Randy, No Randy

February 18, 2012, by 1 comment

I thought this went without saying, but since we dedicated multiple posts to the topic and other outlets made headlines out of it, I figured it was at least worth mentioning that the Vikings do not plan to bring back Randy Moss for yet another go of it in Minnesota.

Rick Spielman’s press conference at the end of this week was non-committal when it came to just about every subject the media pressed him on.  That was not the case when asked about Moss, however.

“We’ll be moving on,” Spielman said.  “Randy was a great player. But, again, our focus is more on trying to get a young team.”

The fact that Spielman uses the word “was” instead of “is” shows that Spielman thinks Moss is done being a premier threat in the NFL.

Even if Moss proves doubters wrong and becomes 2012’s Comeback Player of the Year, there is little arguing that the 35 year old wide out doesn’t mesh with Spielman’s stated goal of assembling a younger and more talented roster.

The Vikings are expected to target free agents coming off their rookie contract and largely build through the talented group of Draft prospects this offseason.

This is likely the last we will hear about this topic for a while.  However, if Moss is available for an extended period of time, if Percy Harvin makes public his desire to once again play with Moss, and if Moss’ price tag drops significantly, we may again have to evaluate the situation.

Another Front Office Promotion

February 11, 2012, by No comments yet

Following a 3-13 season, many wondered if it was wise to promote Rick Spielman to General Manager without exploring outside options.  Once again, the Wilf family has opened up their wallets, however, to keep the staff they have in place.

Director of Player Personnel George Paton has been one of many candidates interviewed for the General Manager position in St. Louis.  According to some reports the Rams had narrowed their search down to two guys and Paton was one of them.  Some other reports suggest that Paton actually got offered the position, but instead he opted to stay with Minnesota.

Deciding to stay with the Vikings was probably made easier by their willingness to promote him to Assistant General Manager. 

Rick Spielman has worked with Paton not only with the Vikings, but also in their time spent in Miami and Chicago.

“George has been an integral part of our personnel department since he arrived in 2007,” Spielman said. “His work ethic, leadership, professionalism and keen eye for identifying talented football players will continue to be a major asset for our organization as we take on the challenges of competing in the NFC North and winning the Super Bowl.”

Les Snead, from Atlanta, is now going to assume the role of General Manager in St. Louis.